Temple of the Immovable (Dampa Zangpo)

The gates of Hell are open night and day; smooth the descent and easy is the way.

Captain Charles James William Pfoundes 1905, Japan. "Pfoundes, early Irish Japanologist, was born near Waterford in 1840. He emigrated to Australia in 1854. He arrived in Japan in 1863 as a naval officer, and worked around Japan. From 1870, he accompanied Japanese delegations to Europe (including the Pope) and the USA. Returning to Japan, he spent time in Buddhist temples. He travelled Europe in 1877, visited Ireland, and married in the UK in 1878. In 1889, he led the first Buddhist mission to the West, starting a London branch of the Japanese Buddhist Propagation Society. In 1893, he returned to Japan, was ordained by the Shugendou. He died at Kobe in 1907."

A breakdown of Zao Gongen and his connection to the Supreme Mahavairocana and the Indo-European Sky Father.🙏🏼 🔥 📿In Shugendou, we believe that En no Gyoujya received transmission directly from the Gods and the Buddhas himself.In particular, Mahāmāyūrī whose sutra, mantra, and Dharani, as well as the divine teachings of Mahavairocana Buddha were said to have been given to him by Mahāmāyūrī herself.With this, En no Gyoujya composed the Unlimited Life of the Threefold Body sutra, which praises Vairocana Buddha.Thereby, via Mahavairocana Tantra, one arrives at the Womb Realm or Taizoukai.A Gongen is an avatar and usually a triple composite deity. These deities are often a Kami brought into Buddhism via comparative absorption, but also maybe reflect Vedic Devas at the same time. They usually correlate to. Buddha and/or Bodhisattva. This singular composite is usually a Holy wrathful version or Vajra version.Zao Gongen was, is one of the most popular ones aside from Acala.He is said to represent the totality of Mahavairocana's via the Womb Realm. He is also thought to be a composite of Past, Present, and Future via Shakyamuni, Avalokiteshvara, and Maitreya.His popularity and rise to prominence seem to be among the primary Shugendou regions.His mantra is "Om Bakiryu Svāhā"His seed Sanskrit character is the Om itself 🕉.Note: Zao Gongen is said by some sources to be Vajragarbhalokeśvara a totality of the 108 names of Avalokiteshvara.This also can be said to correlate to the 108-names theme regarding Rudra-Shiva.Being that the closest and often most direct enlightened version of Rudra-Shiva would be Avalokiteshvara. In the same way the 5 Wisdom Kings Vidyārāja that have Acala as their center and core primary deity being worshiped currently also represent aspects of Rudra-Shiva with the primary of Acala / Acalanātha directly representing Mahavairocana which brings us round circle to how Acala is almost a succession of Zao Gongen or one in the same.Long story short, and a bit of personal belief, in many forms of Vajrayana, especially Japanese, Mahavairocana is seen as the supreme Buddha who correlated directly to Dharmakaya and possibly above that of Shakyamuni in reverence. His is practically equivalent to Brahman, Monad, or Big G God for the Vajrayana understanding (though Western Abrahamic concepts of deity don't apply). With Avalokiteshvara and Rudra-Shiva being his Bodhisattva and Mundane Deva forms respectively, and Rudra directly being seen to equal Dyauspitr / Dyesu Patr he is also the Indo-European equivalent of the Sky Father.

Zao Gongen / Vajragarbhalokeśvara.